The present invention relates in general to a meat patty forming apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for forming meat patties using a mold plate.
Typically, central meat forming manufacturing locations employ high volume, high speed automated molding machines to form different shapes and sizes of meat patties, including hamburger, steak, fish, poultry and pork patties. The manufacturers distribute the patties to restaurants, grocery stores and other retail outlets. In the high volume machines, a supply hopper feeds raw meat into a food pump that pumps the meat, under pressure, into a mold cavity of a mold plate. The mold cavity is typically one or more holes extending completely through the plate. The mold plate is moved cyclically from a fill or form patty position to a discharge or stamp patty position and back to the fill position, etc.
One complete fill position to discharge position to fill position cycle is commonly referred to as a stroke. Manufacturers typically run the molding machines at sixty to ninety strokes per minute. This means that the machine stamps out one or more patties sixty to ninety times a minute. To increase production, the manufacturer can run the machine at a higher speed. To save wear and tear on the machine, however, the manufacturer desires to run the machine at a lower speed. Increasing or decreasing the stroke rate therefore creates a tradeoff of benefits.
Another solution for increasing production is to increase the number of patties that the machine stamps out upon each stroke. Increasing the number of patties per stroke requires more cavities in the mold plate. Since many or most meat patty forming operations employ forming machines having a single row of cavities, existing forming machines are modified to have or new machines are obtained having multiple rows of cavities in the mold plate.
Operating a multiple row forming machine presents new challenges to manufacturers accustomed to the singe row machines. One difficulty that the multiple row machines present involves the fill portion of the cycle described above. With single row machines, each patty forming cavity passing across a fill slot receives the same amount of fill time. With multiple row machines, achieving equal filling time is more difficult, and may not be possible in a retrofitted machine. Since forming machines are expensive, however, it is desirable to modify existing equipment, if possible, to achieve multiple row forming. Accordingly, a need exists fr an apparatus and method to efficiently operate and evenly fill the cavities of a retrofitted or a new multiple row meat patty forming machine.
The present invention generally provides an improved meat patty forming apparatus and method of operating the same. More particularly, the present invention provides an improved apparatus and method for forming meat patties using a mold plate having multiple rows or groups of patty forming cavities. An existing single row forming machine is modified by moving the fill slot relative to the existing stroke length so that the fill slot comes in contact or fluidly communicates with a newly added row of cavities. This is most easily achieved by modifying the existing fill plate and by adding cavities to the existing mold plate, so that the combination of modified plates operates with the existing stroke length (which is difficult to change), to produce multiple rows of consistent meat patties.
The plates are modified so that the mold plate slidingly engages the fill plate when the fill plate is in fluid communication with pressurized meat contained in a fill passage. The mold plate defines at least two rows or groups of cavities. At least one of the rows or groups includes a plurality of cavities and preferably each of the rows or groups includes a plurality of cavities. The fill plate, which may include one or more removable inserts, includes at least one slot that is adapted to fluidly engage a plurality of cavities and preferably includes a single slot that is adapted to fluidly engage each cavity, as the mold plate slides across the fill plate. The elongated slot, which fills a plurality of cavities, provides for a steady, uniform flow of meat into the cavities and consequently results in consistent meat patties. This is true for retrofitted as well as new machines.
In one embodiment, the multiple row meat patty forming apparatus includes a mold plate that has a plurality of staggered rows of patty forming cavities. A fill plate slidingly engages a surface of the mold plate. The fill plate defines a slot that is adapted to fluidly engage at least two cavities of the same row when the mold plate slides across the fill plate. A fill passage disposed on the opposite side of the fill plate from the mold plate allows pressurized meat to flow through the slot and into the plurality of cavities. The forming apparatus of this embodiment may be adapted to have two or more fill plate slots of the same row individually engage any number of cavities or, preferably, to have a single slot fluidly engage each cavity of a row in the mold plate.
When the mold plate of this embodiment has two rows, they may be spaced apart and the slot may be dimensioned, such that the slot fluidly engages each cavity of the two rows at one time when the mold plate slides against the fill plate. That is, the rows are closely spaced apart and the slot is wide enough, such that at a single point in time as the mold plate passes across the fill plate, a portion of each cavity of both rows fluidly communicates with the slot. The mold plate of this embodiment may be adapted to provide one cavity having a larger open area than another cavity. It also may be adapted so that the cavities of one row have a larger open area than the cavities of another row.
In another embodiment, the multiple row meat patty forming apparatus includes a mold plate that has a plurality of staggered rows of patty forming cavities. A fill plate slidingly engages a surface of the mold plate. The fill plate in this embodiment defines a single row of slots so that each cavity is adapted to fluidly engage a unique slot when the mold plate slides across the fill plate. A fill passage disposed on the opposite side of the fill plate from the mold plate allows pressurized meat to flow through the slots and into the plurality of cavities. In this embodiment, a single row of slots fluidly engages staggered rows of cavities at different times as the mold plate moves across the fill plate. Each cavity fluidly engages a unique slot.
In a further embodiment, the multiple row meat patty forming apparatus includes a mold plate that has a plurality of stacked rows of patty forming cavities. A fill plate slidingly engages a surface of the mold plate. The fill plate defines a slot that is adapted to fluidly engage at least two cavities of the same row when the mold plate slides across the fill plate. A fill passage disposed on the opposite side of the fill plate from the mold plate allows pressurized meat to flow through the slot and into the plurality of cavities. This embodiment includes stacked rather than staggered groups or rows of cavities.
The forming apparatus of this embodiment may be adapted to have a plurality of fill plate slots, which individually or in some combination fluidly engage each cavity or, preferably, to have a single slot fluidly engaging each cavity in a row of the mold plate when the mold plate slides against the fill plate. The forming apparatus also includes a breather plate slidingly engaging the surface of the mold plate opposite to the surface engaged by the fill plate, wherein the breather plate has at least one orifice in fluid communication with a cavity.
The mold plate of this embodiment may also be adapted to include one cavity having a larger open area than another cavity. It may also be adapted to include the cavities of one row having a larger open area than the cavities of another row.
One method of operating a multiple row meat patty forming apparatus includes sliding a row of cavities defined by a mold plate into fluid communication with a slot defined by a fill plate, wherein the fill plate contacts pressurized meat. In the same direction, sliding a cavity not in the row into fluid communication with the slot. Reversing direction and sliding the cavity not in the row while in fluid communication with the slot. In the reversed direction sliding the row of cavities into fluid communication with the slot. This method includes sliding a plurality of or a row of cavities followed by one or more cavities in a mold plate across a slot, reversing the motion, and sliding the mold plate in the opposite direction. This method enables one or more cavities to pass partially or completely across the slot.
This method further includes the step of holding the different cavity in fluid communication with the slot for a predetermined amount of time before changing direction. The dwell time enables one or more cavities, if only partially engaged by the fill slot, to obtain the appropriate amount of meat.
Another method of operating a multiple row meat patty forming apparatus includes sliding a first cavity defined by a mold plate into fluid communication with a slot defined by a fill plate, wherein the fill plate contacts pressurized meat. In the same direction, sliding a row of cavities defined by the mold plate into fluid communication with the slot. Reversing direction and sliding the row of cavities while in fluid communication with the slot. In the reversed direction, sliding the first cavity into fluid communication with the slot. This method includes sliding one or more cavities followed by a plurality or a row of cavities in a mold plate across a slot, reversing the motion, and sliding the mold plate in the opposite direction. This method also enables the plurality or row of cavities to partially pass across the slot and further includes the step of holding the plurality or row of cavities in fluid communication with the slot for a predetermined amount of time before changing direction.
A further method of operating a multiple row meat patty forming apparatus includes sliding a first row of cavities defined by a mold plate into fluid communication with a first set of slots from a row of slots defined by a fill plate, wherein the fill plate contacts pressurized meat. In the same direction, sliding a second row of cavities into fluid communication with a second set of slots from the row. Reversing direction and sliding the second row of cavities while in fluid communication with the second set of slots. In the reversed direction, sliding the first row of cavities into fluid communication with the first set of slots. This method includes a plurality of cavities individually or in some combination slidingly engaging a plurality of slots. This method also enables the second plurality of cavities to partially pass across the slots.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention that an existing single row forming machine is readily modified to produce multiple rows of meat patties.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a slot fluidly communicates with a plurality of rows of cavities and thereby increases production.
A further advantage of the present invention is that the mold plate includes having very closely spaced apart cavities so that meat patties are efficiently placed on a conveyor belt exiting the forming machine.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a plurality of cavities can partially pass across the slot and thereby save stroke time and stroke length for a retrofitted or a new forming machine.
Yet a further advantage of the present invention is that a single fill slot fills a plurality of cavities, which provides for a steadier flow of meat into the cavities and ultimately for more consistent meat patties.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.